a nug that properly embodies the beauty of Lake Mary. Peace and love to my friends at Humboldt Relief :)
Whoa! After hearing the new Lake Mary cassette- the project of Chaz Prymek - on Planted Tapes, I opined: 'holy gee... where has my head been?" Well, that's too easy to answer. This was my first experience with Lake Mary, and i lament not being attuned to these flowering sonic paeans earlier. The music on this c40 is an amalgamation of drone and folk. More so, it personifies the inherent beauty of Lake Mary, which is situated near the top of Big Cottonwood Canyon proximate to Salt Lake City, UT. The A side is just as beautiful as many of my 2012 favorites, while the flip exhibits Chaz' facility with acoustic guitar.
'Canopy', which encompasses side, is an ode to all that is beautiful, conciliatory and peaceful. The ethereal drones of side A drift through the head like an idyllic summer morning, as the embryonic glow of the music graces the shade garden with shards of sunlight warming the earth. For most of the track, the sonics stay inert in a shimmering state of being. The use of vocals, in the form of bright sighs, mix perfectly with the music. As swells of serenity pervade the listener, soft sighs dot the landscape like ellipses of the mind. The mix becomes quiet approximately 10-11 minutes into the track, until glistening strings that grow in vigor and soft keys seem to signal a transition. A few minutes later, stringed instruments swell along with poignant keys. The gorgeous field recordings are the kief on top of the nug. For those that travel the Koen Holtkamp/Appestaartje/Mountains/Hapna zones, this is top shelf stuff! The flipside contains one track, 'Mardotsha', which again seems to be comprised of a few different parts. Chaz' playing on this side is excellent. 'Mardotsha' encompasses contemplative, acoustic sojourns bathed in crackle and tape hiss. After hearing these works, i imagine its splendor glistens brilliantly among the environs of Lake Mary. Each part of the track has a different feel, with Prymek transitioning easily between styles. The second part exhibits Prymek's adroit use of space and time. The sonics encircle your head in the manner of Bill Callahan. Meanwhile, the penultimate part of this track displays bucolic guitar - definitely for lovers of Danny Paul Grody.
We are in the presence of a wonderful artist. Produced in an edition of 70 tapes, the cassette features the beautiful, apt artwork of Bethany DeMarco. Lake Mary was home-dubbed and hand-assembled with the assistance of Planted man, Joey Wiley. One may purchase this cassette directly from Planted Tapes.
peace and love, friends :)
